Microsoft isn't the only one running into snags getting new releases out the door. Mozilla said this week it is pushing back the launch of Firefox 2.0 until mid-to-late October, with Beta 2 now slated to debut 23 August.

Mountain View (CA) - Google today announced availability of its first Wi-Fi network. Most residents of Mountain View, Calif., can connect to the Internet via a Mesh Wi-Fi network for free. Google said that its network "eventually will cover the entire city" and serve as "testing ground for future innovations."

Although the approval of the 802.11n standard may be further delayed until 2008, Taiwan's network equipment makers are not worried that demand for pre-n products during the Christmas season will be weak, according to industry sources.

Chicago (IL) - Skype VoIP phones packaged in a traditional handset form factor have been making their way into the market since early this year. The first generation has been somewhat pricey with manufacturers testing the mass-market appeal of such devices. Now we are seeing the first signs of diversification - US Robotics just announced a simple $25 Skype phone and Logitech a higher-end speakerphone.

New York (NY) - Sprint Nextel aims to become the first nationwide WiMax provider in the U.S. The company today announced plans to deploy its next-generation "4G" network that will combine regular CDMA phone capability with EVDO services and WiMax wireless broadband with an anticipated launch date of Q4 2007 and an estimated reached of 100 million customers in 2008.

Taiwan-based Alpha Networks is ready to mass produce Google Talk-enabled WiFi phones, with commercial production set to begin in accordance with clients' product roadmaps, according to company CTO Tim Kang.

Taiwan-based Accton Technology is expected to begin volume shipments of its Skype-enabled Wi-Fi phones to two of its subsidiaries, Edge-Core and SMC Networks, as well as US-based Belkin in August, according to sources at Accton.

Taipei (Taiwan) - New Wireless USB devices are coming, but will there be an operating system to welcome them? At the Certified Wireless USB Developers Conference, major hardware and software companies promised to start providing Certified Wireless USB devices by the end of the year. While this may sound hopeful, DigiTimes today cites Jeff Ravencraft, Intel's technology strategist, as saying Microsoft Vista will not natively support wireless USB devices.

Despite its increasing popularity, it is no secret that VoIP phone calls cannot quite replace a regular phone, if reliability and call quality is important. A new study now indicates that voice quality has not improved over time; Brix Networks claims that VoIP quality has decreased "significantly and steadily over the last 18 months."

D-Link wants to end all of your virus and SPAM troubles with its new Securespot appliance. The palm-sized box, which fits in between your router and Cable/DSL modem, promises to stop viruses, spam, popups and other nasty malware coming into your network. Parents can even control their children's Internet access times through a web-based control panel.

Microsoft has released new beta versions of Exchange Server 2007 and Forefront Security for Exchange. IT administrators can test out beta version 2 of Microsoft's famous email server program and the new Exchange-specific security gateway, Forefront Security. Exchange 2007 supports 11 languages and has new features such as continuous database backup, enhanced web access and voice access.